New Tool Review - "Festool 32mm Hole Guide System"

The bar in the foreground is the side adjustment I just put in place to give me holes 37mm in from the edge. Now I am putting in place the guides for the end distance. In my hand is the one for the other end of the guide. The clever jig allows you to set the rail so that holes can start 32mm down from the top or 1/2 that. The latter will be used when drilling holes for some of the hinge clips and/or slides.
	With the measuring guides in place, I can move the  jig so that the guides are against the side and the top. The edge guides do not hold the drilling guide in place. They are just used to locate it correctly on the work piece.
Like the other guides, the rubber strips underneath keep it from slipping around, but I add a clamp to hold the guide anyway. This clamp is the same Festool clamp that can be used in the groove on the underside.
	I use another clamp at the other end. This one is made by Jorgenson. It is one of the many clamps that work with the 3/4" holes. Frankly, I didn't know this hole system was so popular. They certainly are proving to be useful.
Would you believe that I am now drilling the holes. I have set the plunge depth to give me a 1/2" hole. Actually, I need a 3/8" hole for the shelf clips, but the point of the bit makes it necessary to drill a little deeper.    What makes this so easy is that the guide is controlling the position of the router — exactly. My left thumb presses down on a rocker arm that raises and lowers a positioning pin. When it is raised, I can move the router until the pin drops into the next position. I have locked the router "On" and use the heel of my right hand to plunge the router each time the pin is set. This is a really "cool" and effortless operation.
	I couldn't be happier with the results. The 5mm shelf clips I have fit tight and the holes are chip free and look sharp.    Unlike the many jigs I have used, the router is not drilling through the aluminum guide. No router collars are used. In fact, the router bit is a good inch away from the guide. The holes in the guide are used solely for positioning the rocker pin. A very neat system.
Now I want to drill the corresponding holes on the other side. I have turned the piece 180o. You can barely see the holes drilled on the right side. Placing the hole guide so that the holes line up with those already drilled can be a problem — but not with this system.
	If you remember, I installed an end bracket in the groove at the end on both ends. This time I will place the guide so that the right end is against the top edge — the near edge. I have slipped the two edge guides on the aluminum guide to give me the same spacing from the edge as before. [Aha!!! The offset scale that I was talking about earlier is probably used when the line of holes should be further in — to  allow for the thickness of the back.]
A 35mm bit is a part of this hole drilling kit. I have always drilled 35mm holes for hinge cups using the drill press. When I first thought of installing an "aggressive" bit as this in the router, I was a little leery.
	Not now. It makes a beautiful hole with very sharp and crisp edges. The rail guides and secures the router well so that the hole is a very safe one to make. The inset photo shows how snugly the hinge cup fits.     On the next page, I will review some clamps that make the Festool Multifunction Table even more useable.    Karla will be back soon and we will continue with the cabinet making that we started.